


Forbidden Knowledge

by Nicxan



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's Aether Not Omega, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Trauma, botched ritual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicxan/pseuds/Nicxan
Summary: Aether and Dew are spending a quiet evening in the library doing some research. It takes a dark turn.
Relationships: Aether Ghoul | Omega Ghoul/Dewdrop Ghoul | Fire Ghoul
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25
Collections: Banned Banned Together Bingo 2020, Banned Together Bingo 2020





	Forbidden Knowledge

**Author's Note:**

> Another one for [Banned Together Bingo](https://bannedtogetherbingo2020.tumblr.com)!  
> This prompt was "ghoul". This one was sort of a given, let's be honest. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! I know I enjoyed writing it. 83  
> And MASSIVE thanks to CaptainAddict for the idea, because honestly? So painful. And I love it.

Ghouls had access to specific knowledge that the human Siblings of Sin did not.  
  
Aether found this somewhat exciting, if he was fully honest. The library was accessible to all, but these specific shelves were hidden from human eyes. If one wasn’t a ghoul, they couldn’t find the shelves tucked into a corner towards the back of the room. The humans weren’t allowed to read about the ghouls, nor were they really allowed to learn about the rituals in-depth.  
  
Maybe it wasn’t good to restrict knowledge; wouldn’t that make them like their enemies? But Aether had rationalized that being a train of thought for another day. Right now, he was too busy flipping through a particular book that he had been trying to find for eons now.  
  
It was the perfect night to do this kind of research. Most of the Siblings had retired to their quarters at this point, so Aether had the peace and quiet he needed. The fireplace within the massive library crackled cheerfully, giving off a warm and pleasant ambiance. Aether shifted in the wooden chair and set the book on the table; the creaks resonated through the nearly-empty room. He leaned over to continue reading it, absentmindedly tapping the sides of his face with his claws.  
  
“Any luck finding stuff about summoning a quintessence ghoul?”  
  
Aether’s tail flicked in annoyance when Dew flopped across the table, narrowly missing the stack of books on the edge. ‘He really has a talent for just appearing out of nowhere,’ Aether thought bitterly. He couldn’t be rude, though. Dew had been checking in on him a lot and it was appreciated in this case.  
  
“Nothing yet.” Aether sighed and tried to resume scanning the text on the page. He zoned out almost immediately when it mentioned banishing. “I thought I was onto something earlier, but then it mentioned things that I wouldn’t need, so ...”  
  
“Oh yeah?” Dew shifted around on the table and crawled into the seat right next to Aether. He peered over the other ghoul’s shoulder to glance at the script. “Let me see.”  
  
Dew watched Aether flip a few pages back. ‘ _I can’t read the title, but maybe Dew can?_ ’ Aether thought to himself. It was better than nothing, at least.  
  
“Huh. Summoning a high-ranking ghoul.”  
  
Ah, so that’s what it was. Aether frowned to himself and scanned the page again. It was a lot of information to take in. The ritual itself took up at least three pages, if not more. The ingredients themselves, though, were simple, if not numerous.  
  
“I’ve never seen a ghoul that needs so many elemental ties,” Dew muttered as he read. “Ashes from fire, incense smoke, dirt from the earth, full-moon water, and crystals? That’s a lot.”  
  
“I thought so too. But that’s not even all of it,” Aether replied. He tapped the next page. “They need the ‘crimson essence’ and energy of the bloodline, too. Usually any blood will do.”  
  
“Damn.” Dew clicked his tongue. “Must be a big deal to summon those.”  
  
“Seems so.” Aether shrugged. Curiosity got the best of him; he flicked past it before once it was something he didn’t need, but knowing that this was for a higher-ranking ghoul? Now he just had to know what made them so special compared to the rest of them.  
  
Aether got his answers quickly.  
  
They didn’t have a tie to any particular elements. That was interesting. If they didn’t have a tie to any particular element, they could basically do anything that was needed. There weren’t any overt weaknesses, either. No particular weather would hurt them more, no particular holy weapon would do more harm, _nothing_ .  
  
They were tied to their masters, though. That wasn’t too shocking considering the blood _and_ essence thing. If the master died, so did too the high-ranking ghoul tied to them.  
  
“Weird.” Dew snorted in clear amusement and grabbed a random book off of the pile. “Maybe those are the ones running around outside the ministry? Or at least the ones that handle the real difficult stuff.”  
  
“You’re saying playing’s _not_ difficult?”  
  
“Oh, hell no, it is.” Dew shot Aether a toothy grin. “Difficult as anything can be. But we’re really protected against all the weird shit that can happen. They’re not, maybe. I don’t know. Not my business.”  
  
Aether quietly decided it wasn’t his business either -- at least for now.  
  
He couldn’t deny that it was relaxing to be here with Dew, just reading together in the library. Dew flicked through the pages noisily, which was a bit grating, sure, but he also had his tail twined with Aether’s. Aether didn’t bother hiding a smile; the book did that job well enough.  
  
An hour passed. Rain started to fall outside, mixing with the sounds of the controlled fire inside. Aether’s shoulders relaxed more and more over time, but he couldn’t quite shake the nagging questions at the back of his mind. Not yet.  
  
Aether swore he saw Dew’s head move. He didn’t think much of it until he heard him speak.  
  
“You know you can just ask someone how you were summoned, right?” Dew’s voice was much softer than usual, almost to a shocking degree. He sounded genuinely _concerned._ Normally, he didn’t show this side of himself. Was this something that had been worrying him for a while? Aether had no idea.  
  
“I could,” Aether agreed reluctantly. “But it’s embarrassing to say that you don’t remember how you were summoned. A lot of ghouls remember it.”  
  
“I don’t know, Swiss told me that yours was pretty traumatic. Isn’t a shaky memory pretty common in that case?”  
  
He had to admit that Dew was right. No one had ever really pressured him to remember that much -- Aether had managed to wake up in the medical wing and that was enough for most people. Definitely enough for Sister Imperator, at least.  
  
Aether wasn’t sure when he had tensed up. Dew just put his free hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.  
  
“I just remember it hurting a lot,” Aether confessed. “Something was wrong with my horns at first, and the tail didn’t feel right ... I know it hurt to even breathe. I swear I saw stardust at some point, but I don’t know for sure. It all blends together.”  
  
“That’s a lot more than some.” Dew began to rub Aether’s back, softly and slowly. Aether purred and melted into his touch. “Besides, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Getting a physical body is painful. I remember my dick hurting a lot --”  
  
“ _Dew._ ” Aether laughed a bit harder than he wanted to admit to.  
  
“I’m serious!”  
  
“I know, just -- just, of _all the things_ to mention hurting --”  
  
Dew’s tail clutched tighter around Aether’s in mild retaliation -- mostly because Dew knew that Aether was on a very casual mission. They grinned at each other, then went back to their respective books.  
  
The fire continued to crackle. A door slammed somewhere in the distance, echoing throughout the near-empty hallways outside. Neither of them cared too much, perfectly content in their own little world.  
  
The slams got closer. Hurried footsteps grew louder and louder as they got closer to the library.  
  
Aether glanced up, tail twitching in worry. Dew wordlessly rubbed his back again -- even with his eyes still on the book, Aether found comfort in the simple gesture. The ghouls didn’t want to look up; they didn’t want this peaceful moment to be interrupted.  
  
In the end, they had no choice in the matter. Someone threw the library doors open, causing both Dew and Aether to nearly jump out of their skin. They looked up from their books, eyes wide.  
  
“Special?”  
  
Special Ghoul staggered into the library, clutching his side in pain. His steps were uneven and unsteady; while trying to reach Dew and Aether, he bumped into nearly every table and chair on the way over.  
  
Aether didn’t hesitate. He twisted his tail away from Dew, leapt from his seat, and dashed over towards Special to help him. He didn’t give a damn if he knocked anything over on the way there. All that mattered was keeping this veteran ghoul safe and sound.  
  
“What’s going on? Do we need to take you to the medical --”  
  
“No!” Special spat. He began to cough, retching violently. Special tried to move away from Aether, but fell into his arms when he lost his footing again. Aether immediately noticed how damp his uniform was -- sweat? Was he ill?  
  
“You need to be careful.” Every word strained Special greatly. Aether’s heart broke as he listened. “Imperator -- she --”  
  
“What ...?”  
  
“She cares for nothing but power!” Special bared his teeth, snarling even though his pain. “She will -- _murder_ \-- murder the rightful family, the brothers, to help herself, her own blood!” Special clutched to Aether’s uniform, but Aether felt his strength quickly fading. The tight grip didn’t hold for very long.  
  
Aether’s grip was shaky. The implications of Special’s angry ramblings cut through the cozy atmosphere like a knife, leaving the room cold and empty. His hands trembled as he helped Special to the closest seat. Dew didn’t even move; he only stared in silent shock.  
  
“Calm down, Special,” Aether whispered. “You can’t go saying things like that here.”  
  
“I will say it if it is the truth!” Special snapped back. “And it _is_ the truth! It’s not like they can do anything else to me -- I’m already dead!”  
  
_‘What?’_  
  
“... Wait, shit!” It was the first time Dew had spoken since Special showed up. He rushed over towards the other two ghouls, eyes wide with panic. “You’re telling me that you’re one of those high ranking ghouls?”  
  
“The brothers ...?”  
  
Aether’s blood ran ice cold.  
  
“The Emeritus brothers --”  
  
Special cut Dew off. “Are dying. I can feel it -- poison -- and then ...” Special gagged on seemingly nothing. Dew rubbed his back gingerly, seemingly afraid of worsening the ghoul’s condition. “They were in good health. This should not have happened.”  
  
“What do we do?”  
  
“Nothing.” Special tilted his head up to stare at Aether. His eyes were unfocused and dim, yet still steeled with determination. “Keep your head down. Be careful. For the love of Lucifer, don’t you dare try anything or you’ll be sent back to Hell. I just -- wanted to warn you --”  
  
Aether gripped Special’s hand tightly. His knuckles were a pale gray. Special’s claws dug into Aether’s skin, but he didn’t care. Right now, nothing mattered except for the warning.  
  
“Tell the other players. Keep this --” Another coughing fit interrupted him. “-- Keep this quiet. Be safe. We have to --”  
  
Something tickled Aether’s fingers. He looked down and stared in horror as ashes coated his palm. Special didn’t even seem to notice his form fading away, instead focusing all his effort on speaking.  
  
“I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be like this.” Special shut his eyes and went slack in his seat, embracing his end. His physical form continued to deteriorate, slowly fading into a pile of white ash. Aether watched as the ash slipped through his fingertips. It all happened so fast -- one moment, Special sat there, coughing and retching. Then, gone. Just like that.  
  
Aether wasn’t sure when he started shaking. Nor was he sure when he started to cry.  
  
“D-Dew --” he choked out.  
  
“... We have to clean up the ashes,” Dew muttered forlornly. “We can’t let someone find them here. They’ll probably be looking for him.”  
  
Aether knew Dew was right. Yet, the mere idea of just treating one of the oldest ghouls as a mess to be cleaned up made him feel ill. All he could do was stare at the ashes of Special, completely numb to the world around him.  
  
In the end, it was Dew who left and got the dustpan and broom. It was Dew who swept up the remains, stony-faced and silent. Aether could only stand, petrified, as Dew tossed the ashes away into the trash.  
  
“This isn’t right,” Aether whispered in shock. “The Emeritus brothers ... dead ...?”  
  
Dew said nothing.  
  
“... I’m going to put up the books.” Aether bowed his head and walked back to the table he was at before, silently picking up the pile of tomes and working to put them on the hidden shelves.  
  
No one could know what he had been researching. No one could know that he and Dew had been here when Special vanished. They had to be in bed, totally unaware of the ‘shocking’ news that would surely come out the next morning.  
  
Suddenly, forbidden and secret knowledge didn’t seem nearly as exciting. 


End file.
